I’ve written several blogs over the last few years about the value of email, the value of the email list, and the value of email subscribers. One important step in the process is a subject line that will inspire your recipient to open your email in the first place. Copyblogger and a helpful article I thought I would highlight for you called The Three Key Elements of Irresistible Email Subject Lines.
Think of an email subject line like a newspaper headline attempting to attract your attention. Because it is so similar to a headline, the same rules for headlines apply here.
Headlines should be useful, ultra-specific, unique, and express a sense of urgency. Emails are similar but different in the following ways.
- Identify yourself. Your recipient agreed to receive email from you so make sure they know you are the one sending it.
- Focus on useful and ultra-specific but make sure you do not overuse unique and urgency or you may begin to sound like a spammer.
- Only use urgent when there is a compelling reason to act now. Perhaps you are sending out a Memorial weekend sale email or some other time sensitive information. If everything is urgent though then nothing becomes urgent.
- Rely on spam checking software and when trigger words come out replace them. It won’t matter how compelling your subject line is if you land in a spam folder.
- Shorter is better. Subject line real estate is valuable and short.
My best advice is to open your own inbox and make note of the emails you open and the emails you don’t. Are there specific subject lines that draw you in and others that cause you to delete without opening? If you have any insight in this please share it. I would love to hear your thoughts.
